The Canadian Wood Council does not legally offer a free, full PDF of the 2020 Wood Design Manual to the general public.
If you work with wood—whether you are a structural engineer, a contractor, or a DIY enthusiast—you have likely heard the phrase "Wood Design Manual" (WDM) spoken with a certain level of reverence.
Published by the , the Wood Design Manual is the definitive guide for structural design using timber in compliance with the National Building Code of Canada (NBC). The 2020 edition is particularly significant, as it aligns with the 2020 NBC revisions.
Go to the Canadian Wood Council website today. Register for a free account. Explore the "Span Calculator" and "Connection Selector." You may find you don't need the full PDF after all.
If you do need the full manual, buy it once. It will save you time on errors and keep your designs up to the 2020 code. Do you have a specific wood design question? Drop a comment below or check out the CWC's free webinar archive for 2020 code changes.
But a common question echoes across job sites and engineering forums: Can I get a free PDF of the 2020 Wood Design Manual?